Credit card assembly



March 25, 1969 Filed Oct. 3, 1966 Sheet of 2 A Q WWW. Q

k A) $0 jg; C1?) INVENTOR m Xxx-L o LYLE E.Wr2\ 3HT QMD momm ATTORNEY March 25, 1969 L. E. WRIGHT 3,434,414

CREDI T CARD ASSEMBLY Filed Oct. 5, 1966 WVLLIQIILI MENTOR LYLE EWRKIHT Pmnmcmm ATTORNEY 3,434,414 CREDIT CARD ASSEMBLY Lyle E. Wright, Lanham, Md., assignor to Check Data Control Corporation, Lanham, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Oct. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 583,910 Int. Cl. B41l 47/02; G09f 3/02, A41d 25/04 US. Cl. 101-369 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A separable credit card having a major body section with raised letter printing indicia thereon, and a removable clip with corresponding indicia, and a series of holders for the clip.

The present invention pertains to identification media such as credit cards and the like, and to improvements in the type of credit card disclosed in prior copending application Ser. No. 567,900, filed July 26, 1966'.

In the aforesaid copending application, a sectional credit card embodying a main card and an interlocking insert is shown. The present invention provides a means for manufacture of the card from stock of relatively thin dimension thus making it more readily adaptable to carrying in wallets, billfolds, and the like. A basic objective of the invention is to provide a separable credit card which is of reduced thickness, an insert clip therefor also of minimum bulk. A further object of the present invention is to simplify the separation and assembly of the components of cards of the type under consideration.

Yet another objective of importance resides in the provision of novel holder means for a clip insert of the type described above, the clip holder being adapted for incorporation in personal accessory items such as money clips, watch bracelets, tie clips, and the like. The latter items are of that class of item which card users are unlikely to be without when a credit card is needed, thereby making the insert conveniently available for use with the card when required.

A further objective concerns providing a clip holder which substantially reduces the possibility of loss of the clip insert.

Other objects include those set forth in the above designated prior application and the additional advantages which will be made apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following specification, when read in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved, separable credit card constructed and assembled in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a disassembled perspective view of the card;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the assembled card;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the section line 44 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a first form of holder for a separable portion of the card, the holder being, in addition, a personal accessory item in the nature of a bill retainer;

FIGURE 7 is a partially disassembled view of the holder of FIGURE 6 showing the clip portion of the card removed therefrom;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, longitudinal cross sectional I nited States Patent 3,434,414 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 view taken substantially on the line 88 of FIGURE 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 9 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 9-9 of FIGURE 8 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 10 is an elevational view showing a holder similar to that described in FIGURES 6 through 9, wherein the item per se takes the form of a tie clip;

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view showing the holder embodied in a watch strap section; and

FIGURE 12 is a disassembled perspective view of a two-piece key-carrying assembly, modified in construction to provide a holder usable in this invention.

In FIGURES 1 through 5, a card according to the present invention is shown and is generally identified by reference numeral 20. The card 20 is formed of plastic, laminated fibers, metal, or any other suitable material, and comprises a substantially flat plate body portion 22 having ends 24, sides 26, and upper and lower faces 28, 30, respectively. The card is formed with a depressed section 32 which is offset from the general fiatwise extent of its upper face 28, the depressed section having an elongated portion 34 and an enlarged area 36. A rectangular opening 38 is formed in the area 36 for a purpose appearing below.

During the manufacture of the card 20, a plurality of inverted L-shaped channel elements 40, each including an upstanding leg 42 and a foot 44 substantially parallel to the body portion, are pressed therefrom, leaving openings 46 therein. As shown in the drawing, the channel elements are arranged in facing pairs along the sides 48, 50 of the elongated portion 34 of the depressed section 32.

Indicia 52, such as a distinctive series of numerals identifying a particular credit account, and supplemented by punch card oriented indicia or other safety means is provided on the upper face 28 of the card, permitting the card to be used in conventional printing equipment employed in the normal use of cards of this nature.

An important component of the present invention is an insert clip 56 having an elongate-d, flat rectangular section 58 with upper and lower faces 60, 62, respectively, and an outer end 64. At its inner end 66, the clip has an integrally joined, enlarged handle 68. Handle 68 has abrupt shoulder means 70 on each side thereof to serve as stop means abutting the channel element to limit the inward displacement of the clip, and a rounded outer side 72. The clip has indicia in the form of raised printing letters 74 and 76 projecting from its upper face 60, the in dicia comprising numerals corresponding to the numeral indicia 52 and including the owners name and the aforesaid account number. In FIGURE 4, it will be observed that the indicia of the clip and the card, when assembled, occupy substantially the same vertical plane whereby each is conveniently printed on a credit clip.

As will appear more fully below, the clip 56 is normally carried apart from the card 20 and is only connected thereto at the point of use of the card. To ensure the safety of the clip and to make it conveniently available for use, the present invention contemplates the provision of novel holder means therefor as shown in various forms by way of example and not by way of limitation in FIGURES 6 through 12. In each of these examples, the holder comprises a substantially rectangular sleeve element 102 comprising .a base wall 104 which also is included as a component of an item of personal accessory or apparel use. A pair of short side walls 106 extend upwardly from the base wall, and a top wall 108 connects the same forming a substantially tubular housing for the clip 56. The top wall 108 has an inwardly struck portion 110 to frictionally engage the clip when disposed therein, as best seenin FIGURES 8 and 9. Each of the embodiments of the holder is substantially identical (thewatch bracelet form" of FIGURE-11 being a slightly curved). In each case, the clip 56 is inserted into the holder between the walls to that extent whereat the shoulder 70 contacts the same thus limiting the inward movement thereof. The handle 68 permits the convenient withdrawal of the clip therefrom. As in the case of the cards disclosed in the aforesaid prior application, the presently disclosed card is adapted for use to prevent fraud or unauthorized placement of charges against an account. In normal use, the clip element is carried separately from the card and the card and clip are only assembled at the time of actual use. Assembly merely involves the sliding of the clip from its holder and thereafter placing it in the depressed portion 34 of the card sliding it beneath the foot members 44 of the channel elements to the points whereat the shoulders 70 contact the outermost pair of channel elements. The opening 38 permits the handle to be slightly raised upwardly for convenient withdrawal following use, by engagement of a fingernail through the opening and under the clip through the space shown in FIGURE 3.

Having described and illustrated an embodiment of this invention in some detail, it will be understood that this description and illustration have been offered only by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited in scope only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-part sectional credit card adapted to prevent unauthorized use, and for use in printing an owners name, account number, and coded indicia in connection with the placement of a charge against the card, the credit card comprising:

(I) a credit card major body portion;

the card major body portion being of thin, substantially flat, rectangular form and having ends and sides;

the card having opposite, flat faces including an upper face with a flat extent;

a depressed section in the card major body portion, offset from the flat extent of the upper face;

the depressed section having an elongated portion with side edges and having an enlarged area;

the enlarged area having an opening formed therethe upper face having raised letter printing indicia thereon, including account numerals and coded symbols;

a plurality of channel elements positioned along the side edges of the elongated portion of the depressed section;

the channel elements defining channels opening on the depressed section; and (II) an insert clip element;

the insert clip element comprising an elongated strip of material substantially equal in thickness to the major body portion of the card; the clip element having an elongated, substantially rectangular section with opposite faces and an outer end, and having an enlarged handle section; one of the faces of the rectangular section having raised letter indicia thereon comprising the name of the owner of the cardand numerals corresponding to the account numerals on the major body portion; the clip element being received in the depressed section of the major body portion with the rectangular section disposed in the elongated portion and frictionally engaged in the channels, and with the handle section being seated in the enlarged area of the depressed section and partially overlying the opening thereof; and the letters of the clip element being substantially in alignment with the letters of the major body portion. 2. The invention of claim 1, wherein: the channel elements are of inverted L-shape and are arranged in pairs; the channel members including upstanding leg portions positioned about said elongated portion and foot portions positioned substantially parallel to and spaced upwardly of the upper face of the major body portion and projecting inwardly over said depressed section; and the clip element being frictionally engaged between the depressed portion and the foot portions.

DAVID KLEIN, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

